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Oct 11, 2024 2:34 PM - Connect Newsroom - Debby Rai with files from The Canadian Press

Alberta oilfield company fined $90,000 after worker severely burned in 2021 fire near Valleyview

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The Alberta government says it happened when liquid from a decommissioned pipeline ignited and overflowed from a portable flare stack.

O’Reilly Oilfield Services Ltd. has been fined $90,000 after pleading guilty to failing to protect the health and safety of workers under its supervision, following a 2021 oilfield fire that left one worker with severe burn injuries in northwest Alberta.

According to the Alberta government, the incident occurred in July 2021 at an oil and gas site near Valleyview, when liquid from a decommissioned pipeline ignited and overflowed from a portable flare stack, sparking a fire that seriously injured a worker.

As part of the sentencing, Crown prosecutors withdrew five other charges against O’Reilly Oilfield Services. In the same case, 15 Occupational Health and Safety charges against Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL) were also withdrawn.

Both O’Reilly Oilfield Services and the Crown have 30 days to appeal the conviction or the financial penalty.

The case underscores the ongoing safety risks in Alberta’s oil and gas sector, where industry watchdogs continue to call for stronger enforcement of workplace safety standards, especially for contracted field operators.

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